Incarnations: The Tale of Yumi
by Lady Moon-Chan
Summary: In 1375 AD, the court of Princess Yume is murdered, and she is forced to marry the man responsible. But thanks to one mage's spell, she gets a second chance at at happiness. But will her tormentor from the past ruin her life once again? ignores seasons 2
1. Prologue: A Princess's Heartbreak

**Incarnations- The Tale of Yumi**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: Pretty much the only thing I've written that I have any measure of pride in. R&R? Please?**

**Disclaimer: Would I really be writing fanfiction if I owned Code Lyoko? I think not...(rolls eyes)**

**Chapter 1: A Princess's Heartbreak**

Princess Yume stared down at her magnificent birthday ball glumly. She was lost in thought. Edo had recently been to a village on the coast on inspection, and had brought back to Nagasaki with him a report of two tall strangers in foreign, silly clothing getting off a large, overdone boat. The male foreigner had kept asking after her and the quickest route to the palace. So, Yume was worried. Her parents were away on a peace mission in China, and Yume occupied the throne in their absence. And these foreigners...while they could merely be looking for allies to the east, their purpose could just as easily be muchmore sinister...

"Yume-chan, daijoubu desu ka?" asked a tall, tan boy with sky blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. He was dressed festively, in an orange kimono with navy blue geometric patterns, trim and obi. The obi was secured with a gold obi domi.

"Iie, Naruto-kun." Yume replied with a sigh.

"Want me to go fetch Tem for you?" Naruto asked.

Yume brightened considerably. 'Tem' was the Lord Mage of Darkness, one of -ifnot the- the most powerful mages in Japan, and he was her closest cousin. But besides all that, Tem was her confidante. She could tell him anything and he would die beforerepeating it. "Could you, Naruto-kun?"

"Too late, hime-chan. He already went back to his chambers with Aru-san." said a female voice. It's owner was tanned, with white-gold braids and ice blue eyes. Her face and unseen arms were speckled with turquoise scales. Her kimono was pale purple, witha pale blue river and white cranes on it. The obi was dark blue.

"Ohayo, Ellie-chan!" the other two chorused.

"Ohayo, Uzumaki-san, Yume-chan." Ice blue eyes peered into Yume's obsidian after the close of the statement. "Something's troubling you." Elyon informed the princess.

"Hai." Yumi sighed.

Elyon turned to walk out into the inner courtyard of the palace, gesturing forYume to follow, which she did. Out in the courtyard, the two girls sat on a bench and Elyon turned to Yume. "So, what's on your mind Yume-chan?"

Yume spilled her worries about the foreigners. Elyon clapped her on the shoulders. "Don't worry, Yume-chan. Our warriors arestrong. If those foreigners do try to wage war, we'll just eradicate them like always."

Yume smiled. "Arigatou, Elyon. You are a true friend."

A Few Days Later

Two people rode up to the Nagasaki Palace and dismounted from their horses. "Here we are," said the male, smirking. "here we are."

"Yes." the young woman at his side agreed. She turned to look at her male companion, instead of at the palace as she'd been doing. "After you've married the princess, you'll let me have the little peasant boy she's so fond of, right, William?" she asked tentatively.

William smiled. "Of course, Lissy. Whatever my little sister's heart desires, she shall get."

"Oh, Willie!" 'Lissy' cheered, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. She fell down not a second later, stone dead.

"My apologies, sister dear," William said with a mocking bow. "But I couldn't risk you doing the same to me after you got what you wanted. No hard feelings." He retrieved his dagger from her back and walked calmly and collectedly to the palace doors. He knocked, and the doors slid open to reveal the princess and her imperial court. A boy with a blonde braid wearing a black kimono and hakama with a red haori over it stiffened at the sight of him. William recognized the boy distantly. He had been at that coastal village where Elisabeth, the guards, and he himself had landed. He had stared at their entourage then, his expression calculating and cold. The boy was now whispering something in the princess's ear. She replied heatedly. They seemed to be having an argument of some sort. Finally, when the boy resorted to getting on his knees and begging, she agreed with him and allowed herself tobe led from the throneroom by a maid in a dark blue kimono and white haori.

William smirked. 'Good.' he thought. 'Wouldn't want my bride-to-be to have tosee me kill.' He saw a pair of archer women aiming their bows at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said with a pleasant smile. He snapped his fingers, and his twomost loyal guards, Nicholai and Herve(hair-VAY) entered the throneroom, dragging apair of badly injured silver haired demons with them.

"Inuyasha!" the younger looking archer girl cried, dropping her bow and arrowswith a clatter and running over to the younger of the demons.

"Ka...go...me..." the boy whispered weakly in response.

The newly identified Kagome cupped his cheek. Suddenly, a blade appeared in his throat. Kagome screamed and stumbled backwards in shock.

Inuyasha fell down, displaying the sword that had been shoved clean through hisneck "Inuyasha..." Kagome whispered, beginning to cry.

A warrioress who looked virtually identical to Kagome except for longer hair, a jewel on her forehead, and a more mature face went to her side. "There, there, Kagome-chan, it will be-" there was the sound of two arrows being fired, and the two fell down dead, with arrows in their throats. The elder archer woman rushed over, performing funerary rites for the other two, who William was willing to be were her sisters.

"Ki...kyo," the older demon said weakly. Kikyo turned just in time to see his eyes widen and watch him vomit blood as a sword burst through his stomach.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kikyo cried, standing from where she had knelt by her fallensisters and rushing to the demon lord's side. She kneeled over his body, weeping. Then, she went rigid and fell flat on her face. Herve pulled a sword from her back and lickedthe blood off the blade, smirking.

"Teme!" yelled a woman with loose sandy blonde hair and amber eyes in a dark blue kimono, lunging at him. Nicholai shoved his sword through the woman's chest, and when she slumpedover in death, reclaimed it with a smirk.

"Risa!" cried a tall man with dark eyes and short black hair in a black kimono. He glared at William, Nicholai, and Herve, retracting an arm from his kimono sleeve. On his hand he wore a white glove with an intricate red design sewn into the fabric. He snapped his fingers, and fire flew toward the three foreigners, originating from the man's glove. All three foreigners managed to dodged his attack in the nick of time. Riku(that'shis name in the past) chased after them, snapping incessantly, at one point even singing their entire backsides. He had them backed into a wall and was about to finish them off,when he tripped over the debris strewn about the room by his explosive blasts of fire. His glove tore on the design, and as he reached into his sleeve for the second glove, William took advantage of his distraction and slit the man's throat.

At that moment, the braided boy who had recognized William, a boy with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes who looked like the former, and a man with pale skin, olive eyes and five o'clock shadow stepped down to face William, Nicholai, and Herve. Herve took on the brown-eyed boy, Nicholai took on the golden-eyed one, and William faced the man. The golden-eyed boy clapped his hands together and ran his left hand down hisouter right forearm, producing a short sword. The brown-eyed boy slid into a martial arts stance and motioned for Herve to "bring it". Herve drew a sword and charged. The boy nimbly dodged his attack, and Herve's sword ended up lodged in the wall. The boy slammed Herve's head into the wall andknocked him out, and Nicholai ran over to retaliate. The golden-eyed boy jumped onto Herve's shoulders in an unsuccessful attempt to slow the other down.

"Watch out, Aru!" the boy called, and Aru was able to dodge Nicholai as well. William growled and slit the man's throat in retaliation. The two boys looked at the corpse, then glared at William. Aru knocked the sword out of William's hands and the two began to grapple. The golden-eyed boy prepared to knock William out from behind, but suddenlyfell to his knees, holding his side with a pained expression on his face.

"Nii-san!" Aru cried, abandoning William in favor of running to his brother's side. "Nii-san, what happened?"

Said brother brought his hand away from his side. The palm of his intact white glove was covered with bright red blood. The two brothers turned and saw Herve standing over their fallen comrade with about a half-dozen tiny knives in his hand. Aru's eyes widened in horror. "Nii-san...Edo...th-those are...Himura's poisoned tipped knives...was it a hit...?"

Edo shook his head. "It just grazed me. The tip actually has to embed in the skinfor the poison to take effect."

Aru breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, William, Nicholai, and Herve got over Edo and Aru's attacks and charged for the boys. The two led the trio on a wild goose chase, finally ending upbacked into the wall. The brothers traded a look and prepared for one final attack,deciding to go out with a bang if they had to die. Just as they prepared to spring their respective attacks, however, a rainbow-like barrier appeared between themselves and theother three men, and said men bounced off it with a loud "PING!"

"Tem!" Aru cried.

A taller man with bronze skin, narrow crimson eyes, and spiky tri-colored hair in a black brocade kimono emerged from the shadows, smirking and throwing a flirtatious wink in Aru's direction.

"What took you so long, damnit? They nearly had us!" Edo told their new companion.

"I was casting. I had a disturbing vision recently, and I wanted to put a few wards in place. Just as a precaution, you understand." Tem stated matter-of-factly, trapping Nicholai in a pentagram and sending said pentagram hurling toward William, who was fighting Aru. "Duck, Aru!"

Aru dodged the pentagram and William was caught. Tem imprisoned Herve in it as well and slammed all three of them into the wall. Before he passed out, William yelled. "Guards!"

An army poured in the doors to the throneroom, and Tem swore. "Hikari no Gofuken!" A wall of swords appeared around William's army. He turned to the brothers grimly. "We only have three on."

"We'll take care of them." Elyon said, and the court cheered their agreement.

"Good luck, and fight your hardest." Tem told them, leading the brothers out ofthe throneroom.

"Be careful, you three." A tall, pale woman with a black dreadlocks and blackeyes told them. Her white kimono and black hakama were already stained with blood that wasn't hers.

"Hai, sensei." the two brothers said. And they ran with Tem into the deepestdepths of the palace

.Yume's Room

Yuzu had left some time ago, and Yume was both bored and starved for news of what the stranger wanted. Then, Atemu, Edo, and Aru burst in. "Daijoubu?" she asked, noting the collective look of horror/disgust on all threefaces.

"Iie, Yume-chan." It was Edo who answered. "That foreigner is killing everyone."

Yume gasped. "But...why?" It felt like a puch in the gut, to know people she hadlived all her life with, people who had been living and breathing and talking and laughing just before the foreigner came, were gone and could never come back.

"We don't know." It was Tem who spoke now. "But he's already killed Inuyasha,Kagome, Midoriko, Kikyo, Sesshoumaru, Risa, Riku, and Miruko."

"Eight people?" Yume asked faintly. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were demons who had fallen in love with two of the priestesses, Kagome and Kikyo. Midoriko had taught Yume and her cousins archery, and the sacred texts. Risa was Yume's friend, the keeper of the palace birds, who had promised to help Yume train a bird of her own when her parents returned, and her betrothed, Riku, was an alchemist, known as the Lord Mage of Fire. Miruko was her political tutor, and he constantly gushed about his wife and daughter during lessons.

Aru nodded. "We're going to hide you in the srevants' quarters over the throneroom, and you aren't to enter the throneroom no matter what you hear; do you understand?"

"I'm not a defenseless little girl anymore! I could help if you'd let me!" Yume cried, objecting.

"And under any other circumstances we'd let you. Kami knows we need all the help we can get. But this guy is an unknown. We don't know why he came looking for you, or what his intentions are, and he's already given us eight reasons to suspect that his intentions are less than honorable. So we can't take any risks. Sorry, Yume-chan, but it's for your own good." Edo said. It was the longest speech she'd ever heard the pensive alchemist make about someting that didn't have to do with his art.

Yume sighed in defeat. "Fine."

"Come on, quickly, and stay quiet as you can." Tem said, leading the way to the room in question, moving so quickly and quietly in the shadows of the inner palace that he seemed a part of them.

"Stay safe, Yume-chan." Aru said, hugging her. "One of us -or someone from the court- will come get you when it's over."

Yume nodded, seating herself on a cushion.

"Bye, Yume-chan." Tem said, ruffling her hair affectionately. The three left.

"Let them be safe." Yume whispered. "Oh, Kami, let them be safe."

The three warriors headed down to the throneroom.

"I hope Elyon and the rest made out all right." Aru murmured, wide, doe eyes flitting down to look at his feet, to one side at Tem, to the other at Edo, and back again.

"I won't be able to bring them back if they haven't." Tem muttered darkly.

"What are you talking about? You've got the Shisha Somei, haven't you?" Edo demanded.

"The Shisha Somei only works for one person. We'd have to choose which ally we revived. Would you really be able to choose between Elyon and Himura-san? Or Riku and Midoriko?" Tem replied.

"That other one, then. The one that revives multiple people." Edo said.

"Still, Edo. They're very powerful spells. So powerful, in fact, that I can only use each of them once, and the Shisha Somei only for one person. To bring them back using a revival spell now might prove to be a waste. And what then? What purpose will it have served if we revived our friends and allies only to have some of them die again? Well, Edo? You're a man of science. You know the answer."

Aru looked close to tears at Tem's little speech, so the tanned man wrapped an arm around the youth, pulling him close. "Don't worry Aru. I have a plan in place just incase something should happen."

Edo hadn't heard and looked deep in thought. He opened his mouth to say something and was cut off by a shrill feminine scream.

Aru's head snapped up and he raced to the throneroom. Tem and Edo followed as fast as they could.

In the throneroom, Elyon and a group of elemental demonesses were the only ones left standing. Everyone else had fallen andwas either dead or dying.

"We're not going to last much longer!" Terra, the earth demoness, told them.

Suddenly, Willow, the redheaded leader of the elementals, fell to the ground, mortally wounded. Kagura and Umi, the wind and water elementals, flew to their fallen leader's side and were slaughtered as well. Terra clutched her heart, breath coming in gasps.

"Shinka is the only one still battling!" Aru said in alarm.

Terra managed to create a crator to swallow up some of the gaurds, and Shinka managed to burn some of them to death, but without Willow's magic, their powers steadily grew weaker. Tem, Edo, and Aru had joined the fray by now, and froze in shock when the remaining elementals and Elyon fell to the ground, dead. The three were then tackled, though not killed since Tem summoned another shield.

"Sei naru Barrier Mirror Force!" he yelled, and the gaurds richocheted off it in all directions. The three stood up and began to fight anew, but since it was just they three against a large number of the gaurds, the guards cheered. The three warriors were caught off gaurd and slaughtered. Then William summoned his guards to go out into the countryside and find Yume. Said princess waited until the last of the guards' footfalls had faded into silence and crept down to the throneroom as quietly as she could.

"Aaaaah," she moaned, sickened at the sight before her eyes.

"Yume-chan," came a whisper in the dead silence. She looked around wildly for the source of the voice and saw Ushiro Takamine leaned against a pillar, wounded, but alive.

"Ushiro, you're alive!" she cried happily, flinging herself into his arms.

"But not for long." Ushiro said in a pained whisper. "Atemu-san granted me a little more life, but not much. He wanted me to tell you this for him: Don't give up, Yume-chan, no matter what this baka teme does to you, you must persevere, or else our sacrifice will have been for naught."

Yume nodded tearfully.

"And," Ushiro said with a faint grin. "I have enough life to do this." He pulled Yume's face to his and kissed her. Yume returned it, then Ushiro drew back and stroked her cheek. "Goodbye, Yume-chan, my ai, my kororo." His eyes closed. His hand dropped from her cheek. Ushiro Takamine was dead.

Yume sobbed.

Then next day, Yume married Sir William the Bold under the threat that all of Japan's populace would perish if she did not. Yume's parents were barred from returning to Japan, and, a week or two after the wedding, Yume stabbed William in the back with a knife as he embraced her, then stabbed herself through the heart with the same knife. The emperor and empress(Yume's parents) returned to the throne, and there was peace for the present. But the present as pertains to 1375 AD doesn't concerm us now.What concerns us is the future as a whole.

**AN: Whew. 6 pages, 7 counting this note. See what I do for you people? Anyway, the massive bloodshed was just this chapter. The rest are violence free, and what violence there is is more bonk-on-the-head type violent than the above type violent. Give my brain-baby a chance to live, huh?**

**Japanese glossary:**

**daijoubu desu ka? -Are you alright?, Iie- No, Hai- Yes, Sensei- Teacher, ohayo- Hello, kun- suffix for male friends, hime- princess, chan- suffix for younger or female friends, hikari no gofuken- Swords of Revealing Light, shisha somei- literally, Rebirth, Sei naru Barrier Mirror Force- Mirror Force( holy barrier mirror force), san- respectful suffix (like Mr. or Mrs.), baka teme- idiotic bastard, nii-san- older brother, ai- love, kororo- heart and soul**

**Ja ne(goodbye)! Review please!**


	2. 1: In the Future

**Incarnations- The Tale of Yumi**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: Ohayo. My second update in the same week, a true miracle, is it not? I think it's because this one of my favorites out of everything I've written. All the areas I could normally criticize( plot, title, chapter titles, chapter content) are original and fairly decent(well, I would hope so anyway, I get good marks in my writing classes). So I have no reason to postpone updating this. As a matter of fact, it feels good to type this up. Engaging. Well, I'll let you nice people read now. R&R.**

**Disclaimer, etc: Would I be writing ****fan Fiction** if I owned anything but the plot?

**Chapter 2: In the Future**

Yumi Ishiyama snapped out of her daze as Mrs. Meyer rapped a yardstick on the desk. "Now, as I was saying. We have some transfer students from Japan. It has,undoubtedly been hard for them to move to a new country, where they don't know anyone and don't speak the language. So please, be kind, respectful, and courteous and help them when they need it. And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce them." She turned to the door. "When I call your name, you will enter."

Mrs. Meyer then consulted a list. "Edward Elric." A boy about Yumi's own height with golden eyes and a shoulder-blade length golden blonde braid wearing red-and-black combat boots, tight black skater pants, and a back shirt with a black(white-trimmed) jacket over top of it. He grinned at the class, showing off a healthy(if sly) smile. Yumi's eyes went wide. "Behind Yumi, please, Edward." Mrs. Meyer said.

Edward sat without Yumi being pointed out to him. "Edo-kun?" Yumi asked in shock, looking at him.

He smiled neatly. "Ohayo, Yumi-chan."

"How many of the others are here?" Yumi asked.

"Besides me, Yami, Al, Sasuke, and Naruto. And Kagome, Yasha, Fluffy and Kikyo are in France, just not here at Radical."

Yumi grinned and turned towards the front just as Mrs. Meyer called "Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke was Ed's height, with bluish-black hair that spiked naturally at the back,obsidian eyes, and pale skin. He wore a long-sleeved grey shirt and white, wide-legged man capris, and combat boots. His appearance made most of the girls swoon. Sasuke was directed to sit by Odd.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto was slightly shorter than Sasuke with spiky blonde hair and sky blue eyes. He wore an orange t-shirt that read 'I Didn't Do It', blue jeans,and black tennis shoes. His most distinguishing feature by far was the scars on his cheeks, which looked oddly whisker-shaped. Naruto was instructed to sit by Sasuke.

"Alphonse Elric." Mrs. Meyer said. Alphonse was taller than Ed, with wide,warm brown eyes and harvest golden hair he kept back in a low ponytail. He wore black men's dress boots, black slacks, and a black button down shirt with a knee-length redcoat over it. He flashed a small, nervous smile, and girls giggled. "To Yumi's right,dear." Mrs. Meyer told him kindly. Al too sat down without having Yumi pointed out to him.

"Yami Mutou." Mrs. Meyer said. The boy who entered was the most unique-looking yet, with crimson eyes, bronze skin, and spiky, tri-colored hair. He wore combat boots, tight leather pants, a tight black tank-top, and various gothic ornaments,along with a large, golden pendant in the shape of an inverted pyramid. "Right beside Alphonse, please." she said, and many girls gaped, drooled, or wolf whistled at Yami,making a scowl appear on Al's face.

Yami took the seat requested of him and prodded Yumi in the back of the head."Hey there, little cousin. Good to see you."

"Hey, Yami-kun." Yumi replied, then giggled at Al, who was still scowling.

"What's funny?" Al asked.

"You're so cute when you're jealous." Yami said with a smirk, pinching Al's cheek.

Yumi grinned all the way to lunch time.

Lunch

The rest of the Codies entered the cafeteria to find Yumi sitting with the five transfers.

"Hey guys!" Yumi cried when she spotted them, waving them over. When they sat down, Yumi smiled widely. "These are some friends of mine from Japan. Ed and Al Elric, Yami Mutou, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki."

"..." Said the rest of the Codies.

Odd noticed all the female staring and leaned over the table conspiratorially. "I notice you gentleman all have fan clubs. Need some expert advice on how to woo French ladies?"

"Not interested." The Japanese guys said.

"Why? They don't make them bad here. You all taken men or something?"

"Well, I am." Ed said. "The other four however..." he gave the four a shrug as if to say "do what you will". Naruto and Sasuke kissed, and Al and Yami began to do the thing every couple loves doing...cuddling! When Naruto and Sasuke finished, the two couples received blank stares from everyone but Yumi.

"Umm..." Odd said.

"Yeah." Al agreed.

"Eating babies!" Naruto shouted.

"What? Sasuke, did you let him get into the Tokyo Babylon again?" Yumi asked.

"Actually, I just kind of shouted that because of the awkward silence." Naruto said cheerfully. Then he taught Jeremy, Odd, Ulrich and Aelita about the sakura tree from Tokyo Babylon so Yumi's earlier comment would make sense.

"So, are you guys boarding at the school?"Yumi asked her Japanese friends.

"Yeah." Ed answered.

"Some of you could have stayed at my house you know." Yumi said.

"We wouldn't all have fit. Besides, hearing 'what the hell' screamed in your ear isn't the most pleasant of ways to wake up." Sasuke said.

"Why do I sense an anecdote?" Jeremy asked, leaning on the table.

"Ooh, ooh, can I tell?" Naruto asked Sasuke, bouncing.

Sasuke chuckled. "Alright."

"Yay!" Naruto cheered. "Anyway, this was before me and Sasuke had told our friend Sakura that we were going out. We went out one night, and it started raining, so Sasuke spent the night at my place. The heating in my house had broken not long before this, so Sasuke slept in the bed with me to avoid freezing. Sakura came over the next day and saw us in bed together, and well..." he grinned.

"I remember that." Yumi said with a grin. "You could hear her scream in the next building! Good times, good times." She smiled contentedly.

Ulrich stared blatantly.

"You like her, don't you?" A voice whispered in his ear.

Ulrich turned to see Ed, staring at him with those strange, feline eyes.

The German boy nodded, not trusting his voice under that intense golden gaze.

"I thought so." Ed said with a satisfied nod.

Just then, a voice nobody wanted to hear broke into the conversation. "Well, well. What have we here? More mysterious little outcasts?"

Everyone at the table recognized the voice, and none of them was glad to hear it. " What do you want, Sissi?" Ulrich asked. While Yami snarled, "Elisabeth, you wench. Get lost."

"Don't call me that!" the addressed cried. "My name is Sissi!"

"Whatever, wench." Naruto muttered.

Sissi stalked away in a huff, and Aelita shot Yami and Naruto a look of confusion. "Wench?" she asked.

"Oh, it was used in the Feudal Era to refer to women of the lower class and prostitutes." Yumi explained.

"So you just called Sissi a low class prostitute? Twice?" asked Odd.

"Impressed, Odd?" Jeremy teased.

"Impressed? I think I'd be in love if I wasn't straight."

The whole table laughed. "For once Odd, you made a half-decent joke." Ulrich congratulated.

Yumi laughed at Ulrich's joke. Ulrich smiled.

The Codies and Yumi's friends from Japan all exchanged looks, looked at Yumi and Ulrich, all exchanged looks again, and nodded.

By now, Ulrich's hands had come to rest on top of Yumi's, and the two were leaning closer and closer to one another. That's when William walked up.

"Hey, Yumi." he said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Hello William." Yumi said with a smile. Then her eyes went wide and she saw a scene completely different from the lunch room at Kadic.

_As silence engulfed the palace, the footsteps of what had to be William the Bold's soldiers fading off into the distance, Yumi wondered for a moment why the throne room below her was so silent. 'Either they're holding a moment of silence for Inu, Sesshy, Kikyo, Midoriko, Kagome, Risa, Riku, and Miruko, or others have died.' The princess thought, creeping from her hiding spot as quiet as could be. _

_She flung the servant's door to the throne room wide open, and the sight that met her eyes filled her with horror. Her court was dead. "No," She whispered. "no...". She looked through the bodies, hoping to find even one of her friends still alive. Her shoe made a thunk against one of the bodies, and she looked down, barely stifling a scream. It was Edo, looking shell-shocked, his golden hair stained with blood and his eyes wide and unseeing._

_Yume tripped over someone else in her attempt to get away from Edo's body."Aru, oh Aru," she whispered, stroking the side of his boyish face. It had gone stone cold. There was no hope of reviving him. Not that he would want to be, not without Edo. She continued her search for survivors. After all, there was no helping the Eriku brothers now. Her foot caused a pendant on one of the bodies to clink to the stained tile floor of the throne room. Yume looked at the pendant and gasped, hoping it had been looted from its true owner._

_Her hopes were dashed as she looked into the face of her closest cousin, Atemu Mutou. She sobbed. Her cousin, her confidante, the most powerful mage in the realm, was dead. Then she noticed something odd. Though Atemu had died in battle, his face was calm and serene, as though he were napping, instead of dead. "You cast your ultimate spell, didn't you Tem?" Yume asked the corpse. "You had a premonition of this, so you cast the (insert Japanese for Return From the Different Dimension here) in case what you saw came to pass."_

_"Yume-chan..." A weak voice called from behind her._

_Yume whirled and saw her lover of more than a year, Ushiro Takamine, struggling to lean against a nearby pillar._

_"Ushiro! You're alive!" Yume cried, running to him._

_"Not for long." Ushiro said grimly. "Lord Atemu granted me a little extra life,but not much. He wanted me to relay a message. From him to you: Don't give up. No matter what this baka teme does to you, you must persevere, or else our sacrifice will have been in vain." _

_Yume nodded tearfully._

_"And I have enough life left for this." Ushiro grinned weakly, then guided Yume's lips to his, kissing her. Yume sighed and kissed back. Then Ushiro pulled back. "Yume, ai, it's nearly time." He stroked her cheek. "Aishiteru."_

_"Aishiteru." Yume replied, her voice wet with unshed tears. Ushiro slumped, eyes blank, hand falling from her cheek. He was dead._

_Yume fell to her knees, crying bitterly. Then, someone entered the throne room,coming to stand next to Yume. She raised her head to inspect him or her, not bothering to hide her tears._

_The man was tall, with a ruddy face and dark brown hair, chopped short. His deep black eyes were cool and emotionless. He smiled at her, and seemed more like lips crawling away from teeth than a face moving into an expression of contentment. "Princess Yume," he said in rich, honey tones. "Your servant." he finished on the same tone, kneeling and taking her hand and kissing it._

_Yume merely sniffed._

_The man, who Yume could only assume was William the Bold, scowled, standing and yanking Yume to her feet as well._

_"Look, I'm trying to be nice since everyone you held dear is dead now, but you're making it very difficult." he snapped, as though it were her fault she was in this position."I want to marry you, Yume, and marry you I shall."_

_"And why, pray tell, would I want to marry the man whose soldiers killed all my friends and loved ones?" Yume asked, clenching her free hand into a fist._

_"You assume I'm giving you a choice in the matter." William said smoothly,catching the fist she aimed at him and twisting her wrist painfully. "But I'm not. If you don't marry me, Yume, the soldiers I have waiting at every town and village in this god-forsaken country will wipe them all from the map as soon as I give the signal. And will be all your fault for putting your hatred of me before the welfare of your people, now won't it?" he hissed, drawing her close_

_Yume hung her head. "Alright. You win."_

"Yumi?" William asked, looking a bit freaked out at Yumi's trance.

Yumi looked at William, seeing only the face of William the Bold. "Get away from me, you bastard!" she shrieked, shoving William away. "You killed them! You killed them all!" With that, she ran from the cafeteria.

The Japanese students all looked worriedly after her. "I'll go talk to her." Yami volunteered, following Yumi.

Wherever the Hell Yumi Went

Yumi curled up with her head on her knees, sobbing.

"Yumi-chan, daijoubu desu ka?" Came a smooth baritone.

"Iie, Yami-kun." Yumi murmured. Her cousin's arm wrapped around her shoulders consolingly.

"Want to talk about it?" Yami asked, slipping into the role of confidante again.

"Oh Yami, what's there to talk about? I'm such a freak. I yelled at some innocent guy that he killed people who were probably a figment of my imagination."

"Tell me what you saw, Yu-chan." Yami said, unconsciously tightening his grip on Yumi's shoulder.

"I was in an olden Japanese palace, in royal clothes. I went into the throne room,and you were all lying dead on the floor in old-fashioned kimonos. All except Ulrich, and he was nearly there. He told me a guy called Atemu had told him to tell me not to give up or else everyone's sacrifice would have been in vain, then he kissed me-" she blushed."-and told me he loved me." the blush deepened. "I told him I loved him too and he died. Then William came in dressed in old European armor and told me if I didn't marry him he'd kill everyone in Japan. What does it all mean Yami?" she asked, too distressed to wonder why Yami had suddenly used his childhood nickname for her.

Yami stood and motioned for Yumi to follow him. "A couple of years ago, I started to have dreams that I was a mage in olden Japan. Al had the same kind except that he was an alchemist. So, the two of us, along with Ed and the others in our little gang,began to research the names and dates we learned in our dreams. The people we dreamed about were real, it turned out, and there was a connection. "They were all in the court of Princess Yume, who ruled briefly in 1375 AD. They all died there as well, because a European conqueror called William the Bold killed them in his quest to marry Yume and gain more power. However, a member of the court had had a premonition of this, so he cast a spell known in English and its sister languages as Return From the Different Dimension."

Yumi gasped, and Yami nodded, opening the door of the dorm room he shared with Alphonse. He went into a drawer and rummaged through, eventually pulling out a rather large canvas.

"This is a painting of Princess Yume and her court done by a German artist brought to Japan by an alchemist in Yumi's court, Edo Eriku."

Yumi mouthed the name, looking shocked.

"Sounds a lot like Ed Elric, doesn't it?" Yami asked, sitting on his bed and turning the canvas so Yumi would be able to see the painting right side up.

She nearly died of shock when given a clear view of the portrait. Princess Yume and her court looked almost exactly like Yumi and her childhood friends, with only a few minor differences.

"I think you'll find these people's names quite interesting as well, Yumi-chan."

Yami said, starting with a girl in a traditional Ashikaga kimono and headdress. "This was the princess, Yume."Yume looked like a slightly older version of Yumi. His finger moved. "This is Edo Eriku." Edo Eriku looked exactly like Ed except for the marking on his neck and the bored look in his eyes. "This was Edo's younger brother by a little over a year, Aru." Aru was the spitting image of Al except that his hair was chopped short."Next to Aru," Yami continued, "is his lover, Atemu Mutou." Atemu and Yami could have been twins if not for the scar over Atemu's left eye.

"So let me guess. You think we were reincarnated from them." Yumi said.

Yami shook his head. "I know we were. That scene you just described to me was something Princess Yume wrote in her diary."

Yumi looked puzzled. "Diary?"

Yami nodded. "Edo and Aru Eriku gave it to the princess when she was twelve years old. They had been traveling in Europe, and one of the 'novelties' they brought back with them was a small, leather-bound book filled with blank pages, in which the princess could write her deepest, most private thoughts."

Yumi gasped. "Ed and Al gave me a diary they'd bought in Germany for my twelfth birthday!" Even as she said the words, memories of two parties overwhelmed her mind.

_Yumi sighed. She was grateful to her parents and the Mutous for organizing a party for her, but she was just too depressed to enjoy herself. Ed and Al weren't here. _

_"Granny and I have a surprise for you Yumi." Winry Rockbell said, clasping her hands together. The thirteen-year-old giggled. "Close your eyes."_

_Yumi did as the older girl told her, frowning as she heard the door open._

_"Alright, Yumi. You can open your eyes." Pinako Rockbell said, a trace of amusement in her voice._

_Yumi opened her eyes and gasped. The entire Elric family stood in front of her!_

_"Happy birthday, Yumi-chan!" They all said at once. Trisha pushed her boys forward. "Go on, now. Give Yumi the present you bought her."_

_Ed flushed in embarrassment, and Al rolled his eyes, handing Yumi a package Trisha must have wrapped, since it was so neat._

_She opened it to find a small, black leather bound book. When she flipped through it, it was empty except for lines she would have to disregard, since they were made to fit western writing._

_"Oh, wow. Thanks, guys." She said._

_"No problem, Yumi-chan," Ed said, getting over his embarrassment in the face_ _of praise._ _The rest of the guests laughed._

The next memory was different. It was a welcome back party for dear friends as opposed to a birthday party.

_Yume tackled both Eriku brothers into a hug. "Edo! Aru! I missed you!" the twelve-year-old princess cried. _

_"We noticed." Edo muttered, voice muffled under Yume's layers of kimono. Yume blushed and backed off. _

_"Here, Yume-chan." Aru said, reaching into the folds of his kimono. "We got you a souvenir." He retrieved a book small enough to be hidden easily in the folds of one's kimono, made of tough rawhide covered in cured, light brown leather. Yume flipped through it. It was blank. _

_"What is it?" she asked. _

_Edo called it by a foreign word Yumi didn't understand that sounded like die-ya-ree, then, seeing that she didn't understand, said. "It's for writing down personal secrets. The things you don't want to share with anyone." _

_Yume nodded in understanding. "Thank you." she told them._

Yumi put a hand to her head.

"You see the parallels?" Yami asked.

Yumi nodded, shocked. "I need to know more." she whispered.

"There's not really much to know." Yami told her. "Her life was a parallel of yours, circa 1375 AD." at her questioning look, he explained. "I've been remembering bits and pieces of my life as Lord Atemu since we started the research. Nothing major,just bits of day-to-day life in the palace." Yami's eyes grew faraway. "It's almost funny. But none of us have changed all that much. Personalities, relationships, its all still the same as it was then. There are times when I forget that we're not in 1375 anymore."

"I want to remember too." Yumi said strongly.

"There is a way." Yami said, putting the portrait away.

"How?" Yumi asked.

Yami kneeled and motioned for Yumi to do the same. He put his forehead to her forehead and his fingers to her temples. Yumi heard a light hum, as she did when Aelita used the Lyoko powers she'd always had. Flashes of a past she had never known of danced before her eyes. After Yami pulled back, Yumi could remember most of her pastas Princess Yume.

"I'm sorry." Yami told her. "There were some bits of Yume's life she kept from even her confidante. But what I couldn't give you back should fill in on its own with time."

"Arigatou." Yumi said softly.

"It was nothing, Yu-chan." Yami returned, looping an arm about his cousin's shoulders.

The sound of a throat clearing brought them out of their little family bonding trance. "I can come back later if you two are busy..." Al said, trying and failing miserably to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Not funny, Aru." Yami growled, standing.

"But you still love me." Al grinned shamelessly, then grew serious. "But joking aside, you've already missed a class. I came to get you for history."

"So we missed chemistry, huh?" Yumi said.

Al nodded. "But I told Mrs. Hertz that you weren't feeling well, so you're not in trouble for skipping."

"You act like we meant to." Yami said. "Jeez, and there was me thinking we'd only been here for about fifteen minutes."

"But every thing's worked out, so it wasn't a waste, at least." Yumi said.

"True enough." Al agreed, and the three headed to history.

History Class

"Today we'll be talking about the Shikon no Tama." Mr. Leeburn announced."Can anyone tell me what that translates to?"

Yumi leaned forward. "Yami, Al, I know you know the truth, but please. Tell him what the legends say, huh? It'd be a one way ticket to the Happy Hotel if he found out how you knew what you did." she whispered.

"Miss Ishiyama?" Mr. Leeburn asked.

Yumi hastily gave the translation. After she had finished, Yami got down on his knees under the pretense of looking for his pencil and whispered to her. "Don't worry,Yumi-chan. We'll behave."

Yumi breathed a sigh of relief.

After class, Yumi packed up and headed to study hall.

"Hey Yumi." William greeted, seemingly popping out of nowhere. "Are you alright? I got worried when you ran out of the cafeteria earlier."

Images of their forced wedding and the pain of the wedding night burned their way into Yumi's mind. "Go away," she whimpered. "you got what you wanted, so just leave me alone." She whispered desperately, running away as fast as she could. Her escape attempt was foiled, however, when she ran straight into someone.

"Yumi?" Aelita asked. "Yumi, what's wrong?"

"He killed them, Aelita." Yumi whispered, looking horrified. "He killed everyone I hold dear. Then he took away something I was saving for a person I really loved. But he...he forced me...he took...it's his fault..." Yumi murmured, fainting from an overload of memories. The last thing she remembered before she fell unconscious was a pair of arms breaking her fall to the floor.

When Yumi next awoke, she was in a warm bed, and her usual black sweater had been replaced by a full length tank top that fell very loosely on her, reminiscent of the kind Edward wore, and her feet were bare. "W-where am I?" she murmured, sitting up and putting a hand to her head.

"My room." Ed said, guiding her back down to a laying position. "Don't worry, it was your friend Aelita that changed your shirt." he told her, noticing the worried frown."Now, relax. You'll get dizzy if you try to get up too soon." She felt a warm, slightly calloused hand bush the hair off her forehead and finger-comb her hair a bit, so Ed must have been using his left. "There you go." he said, once he found her sufficiently relaxed. He then went over to the door and peered out. "Okay. You can come in now."

And all of Yumi's friends poured in, with the exception of Aelita, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, observing the interaction between Ed and Yumi.

"Yumi-chan, what happened?" Yami asked.

"William happened. I ran into him. Then, the memories started to overload me. Iran, bumped into Aelita and fainted."

"And she brought you here." Ed finished.

Yumi nodded. "Oh, kuso..." she whispered suddenly, looking wide-eyed.

"What?" Her Japanese friends all asked in their native tongue.

"I blabbed a little bit about when I was Yume." Yumi replied in the same language. "I didn't say much, but what I did say..."

"What did you say?" Sasuke pressed.

"That William killed everyone I hold dear, and about what he did to me after he forced me to marry him."

"He forced you to marry him?" Al asked, looking disgusted.

Yumi nodded. "And after the ceremony, he...he..." she couldn't finish.

"He raped you, didn't he?" Naruto whispered, looking angry.

Yumi nodded, close to tears.

Naruto's eyes glowed a deep, blood red, Sasuke clenched his fists, and everyone generally looked murderous. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Yami's eyes had turned the color of dried blood, his fists were clenched so tight he was drawing his own blood, and his body was surrounded by purple and black flames. His Millennium Puzzle was glowing brightly, and the Eye of the Wisdom of Darkness glowed blindingly on his forehead."Damn him!" he swore, "Damn him to hell!"

**AN: Not much to say about this chapter, except please don't kill me. I like Yumi, really,but her suffering is essential to the plot, and besides that, temporary. Also, arigatou thank you, and kuso shit. Review please. Ja!**


	3. 2: The Codies Find Out

**Incarnations- The Tale of Yumi**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: OMG. An actual semi-quick update. Only three chapters left, making this the halfway point.**

**To KarleyBoB: I guess it _would_ be confusing, considering the yaoi just kind of came up like WHAM! And the fact that I made up one of the pairings out of my sick, demented little head...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profits, though I did try to point out to my lawyer that since I own Chobits and FullMetal Alchemist merch, I do technically own both series. He patted my head and told me it was a good try.**

**Rating: Since I don't remember posting it, PG-13.**

**Warnings: Violence(only technically needed in the prologue) and swearing.**

**(that's the starting point)**

**Chapter 2: The Codies Find Out **

"What's going on? What are you talking about? Speak our language!" Odd said.

"Yeah. If something's going on, tell us." Ulrich said.

"Yumi, please." Aelita said.

"We're worried about you." Jeremy said.

Yumi sighed, looking at Yami, who nodded. "It's kind of a long story." she said, looking to her Japanese friends for help.

"Just tell them and get it over with Yumi." Ed said, staring out the window. "It's better that way."

"Alright." Yumi sighed. "It sounds crazy, even to me, but apparently I'm the reincarnation of a Japanese princess named Yume. And these friends of mine, as well as many that didn't transfer to Kadic, are reincarnations of my court."

"Cool!" Odd shouted. "Were any of us there?"

"Ulrich was." Yumi said quietly, blushing.

Ulrich looked surprised and his cheeks went a bit pink.

"I knew it!" declared a voice from the window. It belonged to a pale girl with big brown eyes and elbow-length black hair. She wore green pants and a white long-sleeved t-shirt. Only Ed didn't look surprised at her appearance.

"Kagome-chan!" Yumi cried. "How did you get up here? We're on the fourth floor!"

"Uhhh, secret martial arts?" Kagome offered.

"Feh. Secret martial arts nothing. I had to carry you." said a male voice. It belonged to a boy with long silver hair and amber eyes. He wore a red t-shirt, jeans, and combat boots.

"Inu-kun!" Yumi cried. "Guess that means Fluffy-kun and Kikyo-chan are here too."

"My name is Sesshoumaru." stated a deep, emotionless voice. It's owner was taller than Inuyasha, with longer silver hair and the same amber eyes.

"Iie!" Yami objected with a pout. "Before we came to France, we formally christened you 'Fluffy-kun'!"

"Funny how he can go from mad enough to kill to pouting like a little kid, ne?"Yumi asked Al in disbelief.

"Hai." Al muttered, sweat dropping.

Sesshoumaru was sweat dropping too, though for a different reason. "Call me Sesshoumaru if you wish to stay male."

Yami meeped and hid behind Al in fear.

Sesshoumaru ignored him and proceeded to sit down by Yumi. "So, you remember all that happened?"

Yumi nodded. "Mostly."

"Good." Sesshoumaru said.

"All that happened?" Aelita asked, raising an eyebrow.

"William and we think Sissi were in the past life as well. William killed Sissi, killed my court, and forced me to marry him." Yumi explained, looking down.

"And you've willingly hung out with this guy since he got here?" Odd asked, looking confused.

"WHAT!?" Inuyasha yelled, and Ed fell out of his seat.

"Yumi-chan..." the blonde alchemist muttered, twitching.

"It was before I remembered anything about being Yume, I swear Edo-kun, Inu-kun." Yumi said, putting her hands up defensively.

Ed reclaimed his seat, still twitching slightly.

"So now what?"Kagome asked. "Yumi-chan remembers everything, or most everything, so what's the next step?"

"We show William he can't have Yumi." Ed said strongly. Then, he told Jeremy and Odd the rest of the plan, having previously informed Aelita while Yumi was out cold. "So now the only question is, how do we do it?"

"There's a dance coming up." Odd offered. "It's called the Spring Fling. At the end of the night, a Spring Fling King and Queen are elected and lead off a big time couple dance."

"Ah, a perfect time to put the magic fingers to use, ne, Ed?" Al grinned.

Ed grinned as well and flexed his right hand in response.

"The magic fingers?" Aelita asked in confusion.

"Yeah. As long as I use this I can imitate any kind of handwriting." Ed said, pulling the flesh clean off his right hand to reveal a metal limb.

"But how?" Jeremy asked.

"In the tech district of Japan, if you've got lots of cash and a high pain threshold, you're in luck." Ed said bitterly.

"No, that's not it." Jeremy said. "How can you have a metal limb that functions the same way as the flesh one?"

"Oh, that. It's called automail, and it's wired into the nerve endings in whatever is left of the limb you lost, and it can read nerve signals just like a flesh limb because of it."

"Oh." Jeremy said, looking down.

"But forget about that. It's not important right now." Ed said.

"What is important is figuring out what to do about Sissi and William." Naruto declared, leaning against Sasuke.

"Right." Yumi agreed, looking determined.

The group talked for hours, until every detail of the plan had been perfected.

** AN: My third update in two weeks. I'm so happy. pats self on the back. And now part of my motivation is that I have a friend who likes my stories and will hopefully give me more reviews(she's already reviewed You'll Love Me Till You Remember, which has nothing to do with this story but you should read anyway if you like vampire romance)! Arigatou for inspiring me to get off my arse, Amber-chan!**


	4. 3: Preparing for a Dance

**Incarnations- The Tale of Yumi**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: Another in one night. Yay! But it also makes me sad because I'm rapidly running out of story, and this is probably the only one I'm ever going to update this fast. Le sigh.**

**Disclaimer, Rating and Warnings: See last chapter**

**Movie! Al: Review please.**

**LM-C: Aru! glomps**

**Chapter 3: Preparing For A Dance**

The next day, Ed went to see the principal. It was decided that he would go because a) he had been a member of the Japanese government and was well-versed in the art of ass-kissing, aka etiquette, and b) he was a good speaker(as multiple classroom debates proved). He knocked on the door of the principal's office and entered.

"How did you get in here, young man?" the principal asked. "Ms. Rad-" he was cut off by a hand over his mouth.

"Come on now, chief," Ed coaxed. "don't throw me out just yet." He eased the principal into his chair and took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. "I only came here to offer my services for the dance. What do you say, chief? Hear me out?" The principal nodded. "Very well then. What are you offering?"

"To be the emcee. And Yami Mutou wanted to know if the DJ spot was still open."

"Hmmm. Very well. I suppose it would be alright. You certainly have enough pep to be an emcee."

"And the DJ position?"

"Mr. Mutou can have it as long as he tones down his taste in music. The junior high school students will be in attendance as well."

Ed grinned. "Ah, excellent! Thanks Mr. Del Mas!" Ed cheered, clapping the principal on the shoulder(with his left hand, of course). "You won't regret this!"

"Yes, well...perhaps you should go to class now, Mr. Elric." the principal said.

"Yes sir." Ed said, standing and heading for the door. He turned and bowed politely, then left.

Outside, he was immediately cornered by Sasuke, Naruto, Al, and Yami.

"Well? What'd he say?" Al asked.

" I'm officially the Spring Fling emcee and Yami's the DJ."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered. "Finally something's going our way for a change!"

Yami nodded, and they all went their separate ways for class.

Italian

Al was working on an Italian to French translation when the note hit his desk. He opened it and read Aelita's nearly flawless cursive. _What did the principal say about Yami and Ed?_

He glanced up and saw Aelita looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He turned the note over and replied, _Ed's emceeing and Yami-kun's the DJ._ Then he discreetly flicked it back to Aelita and watched her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

A smile came to her lips and she glanced at him, nodding almost imperceptibly. Then she went back to her Italian work.

Al smiled as well and did the same.

Later

All people who had a role on the dance decorations/food committee, as well as people with a role in the dance itself were called for a meeting in the gym.

Emily, the head of the committee, clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay everyone. We need to decide theme for this year's Spring Fling like luau, geek and jock, things like that."

"How about masquerade?" Ed suggested from where and Yami were testing the sound system.

Emily latched onto that. "Well, how about it? Who votes for a Spring Fling Masquerade?"

Everyone did, so the dance became the Spring Fling Masquerade.

"Now we have to decide on the decor." Emily said, glancing hopefully at Ed again, but he was now tangled almost hopelessly in the wiring of the microphone and speakers.

Yami, however, smirked and strode over to Emily, whispering something in her ear.

"That's brilliant!" she declared. "Yami proposes that we make it look like a festival called-" she looked at him. "What did you say it was called again?"

"Sakura Matsuri." Yami said, and a few girls swooned at his deep voice.

"Sakura Matsuri." Emily repeated. "So let's do this!"

**AN: Wow. Yet another update. Only because these last two two were short little fillers, though. Oh well, review please!**


	5. 4: A Lesson Long Overdue

**Incarnations- The Tale of Yumi**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**AN: Well, here we go. The second to last chapter. And I have great news! I finally found the notebook In Love With the Boy is written in! Yatta! And I was prepared to start winging it with that one too! And, to add my happy high, the epilogue is fairly short and will probably be uploaded as soon as I finish adding this as a chapter!happy, contented sigh **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profits. I also did not make up the songs used in this chapter.**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Warnings: If you've made it to this point, you know why I rated this thing PG-13**

** Chapter 4: A Lesson Long Overdue**

A few nights later, it was time for the Spring Fling Masquerade. Yumi, Aelita, and Kagome and Kikyo, who'd snuck in to help them to get ready, were preparing for the dance.

Aelita wore a pale rose belly-baring halter top, an ankle length cream colored bohemian skirt, and clear high heels with little crystal beads on them. Her mask was covered in white sequins, with two white with gold tint feathers sticking out of one side, and small enough that it only covered her eyes.

Yumi wore an intricate black brocade kimono, trimmed with red and a red obi. The obi domi that secured it was made of gold thread interwoven with platinum. On her feet were red brocade slippers trimmed in gold, and her mask was a red and black twin to Aelita's. "I feel like a princess." she murmured, examining all the gold and platinum jewelery on her fingers, wrists and neck.

"Well, you were one." Kagome reminded gently, pinning her hair out of her face with a pair of Sakura blossom hair pins, then artfully arranging a few bangs to fall into Yumi's eyes.

Then there came a knock on the door. "Everyone decent in here?" Ed asked through the door.

"Yeah, Ed. Come on in." Kikyo called from where she was helping Aelita with her make-up.

Ed entered the room and walked up to Yumi. "For the princess." he said, handing her a small wooden box.

She opened it and gasped. Inside, on a bed of black velvet, sat the most exquisite ring she'd ever seen. It was a slim golden Asian dragon, with ruby eyes, pearl fangs and claws, and a ridge of white-gold spikes that disappeared where the ring would touch her pinky and middle fingers. "Oh wow." Yumi murmured. "Thanks Ed."

"Don't thank me, thank Ulrich. It's his present to you, he was just too shy to come give it himself." he left.

Yumi closed her eyes and smiled.

The Dance

At the dance, all kinds of masks could be seen. Some like Yumi and Aelita's, others rubber Halloween masks, and even some Phantom of the Opera masks.

Ed stood on stage, wearing a Freddy Kreuger mask, fedora, and metal nails. "Hello and welcome to the Spring Fling Masquerade. I'm your emcee for the evening, Edward Elric. And the DJ, contrary to popular belief, is not Jason. His name's Yami Mutou-" Yami cut in with a cackle and a revving of his fake chainsaw from behind his Jason-style hockey mask on the DJ stand. "- and he is a complete maniac. Be very afraid of him." Ed said dryly. "Now, I'm s'posed to tell you the rules of this dance, but I'm not going to. You have this thing every year, you should know them by now. Hey, back off Fat Bastard!" this last was directed at Jim, who was trying to snatch the microphone from Ed.

"Give it here, you little brat!" Tug.

"Your mother was a hamster! And your father, why, he smelt of elderberries!" Ed declared. Tug tug.

Jim let go of the microphone and gave Ed a what-the-hell look.

Ed held up the microphone and crowed, "Haha! Victory is mine! Next step," he put on a funny Spanish accent, "World Domination!"

The students laughed, and Ed took a bow.

"Anyway," he said, "you're allowed to request songs any time during the dance-"

"-Except the first two, which I have dibs on." Yami said.

"Yeah yeah, get out of it, Jason. Anyway, I guess it's time for me to shut up and let the DJ do his job." he jumped off the stage, and Yami put his headset on speaker.

"Thanks, Ed. Now, I hope no one was expecting a slow song right off, 'cause it isn't gonna happen." he chuckled, switched the microphone off, and played the first song.

_Debbie just hit the wall_

_She never had it all_

_One prozac a day_

_Husband's a CPA_

_Her dreams went out the door_

_When she turned 24_

_Only been with one man_

_What happened to her plan?_

_She was gonna be an actress_

_She was gonna be a star_

_She was gonna shake her ass_

_On the hood of white Snake's car_

_Her yellow SUV is now the enemy_

_Looks at her average life_

_And nothin' has been alright_

_Since Bruce Springsteen, Madonna_

_Way before Nirvana_

_There was U2 and Blondie_

_And music still on MTV_

_Her two kids in high school_

_They tell her that she's uncool_

_'Cause she's still preoccupied_

_With 19, 19, 1985_

_She's seen all the classics_

_She knows every line_

_Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink_

_Even St. Elmo's Fire_

_She rocked out to Wham!_

_Not a big Limp Bizcuit fan_

_Thought she'd get a hand_

_On a member of Duran Duran_

_Where's the miniskirt made of snakeskin?_

_And who's the other guy that's singin' in Van Halen?_

_When did reality become TV?_

_Whatever happened to sitcoms, gameshows,_

_on the radio was_

_Bruce Springsteen, Madonna_

_Way before Nirvana_

_There was U2 and Blondie_

_And music still on MTV_

_Her two kids in high school_

_They tell her that she's uncool_

_'Cause she's still preoccupied_

_With 19, 19, 1985_

_She hates time_

_Make it stop_

_When did Motley Crue become classic rock?_

_And when did Ozzy become an actor?_

_Please make this stop, stop, STOP!_

_And bring back_

_Bruce Springsteen, Madonna_

_Way before Nirvana_

_There was U2 and Blondie_

_and music still on MTV _

_Her two kids in high school_

_They tell her that she's uncool_

_'Cause she's still preoccupied_

_with 1985_

_Bruce Srpingsteen, Madonna_

_Way before Nirvana_

_There was U2 and Blondie_

_And music still on MTV_

_Her two kids in high school_

_They tell her that she's uncool_

_'Cause she's still preoccupied_

_With 19, 19, 1985_

Many people stopped the fast-paced dancing they'd been doing in favor of rest. Yami laughed maniacally and put on another fast song.

_I almost got drunk at school at 14_

_Where I almost made out with the homecoming queen_

_Who almost went on to be Mss Texas_

_But lost to a slut with much bigger brestes_

_ I almost dropped out to move to LA_

_Where I was almost famous for almost a day  
_

_And I almost had you_

_But I guess that doesn't cut_

_Almost loved you_

_And I didn't even know it_

_You kept me guessin' and now I guess_

_That I spent my time missing you  
_

_I almost wished you woulda loved me too_

_I almost held up a grocery store_

_Where I almost did five years and then seven more_

_'Cause I almost got popped for a fight with a thug_

_'Cause he almost made off with a buncha the drugs_

_That I almost got hooked on cuz you ran away_

_And I really wish I woulda had the nerve to ask you to stay_

_And I almost had you_

_But I guess that doesn't cut it_

_Almost loved you_

_And I didn't even know it_

_You kept me guessin' and now I guess _

_That I spent my time missin' you_

_Almost wished you woulda loved me too_

_Here I go thinkin' 'bout all the things I could've done_

_I'm gonna need a forklift 'cause all the baggage weighs a ton_

_(baggage weighs a ton)_

_I know we've had our problems_

_I can't remember one_

_And I almost had you_

_But I guess that doesn't cut it_

_Almost loved you_

_and I didn't even know it_

_You kept me guessin' and now I guess_

_That I spent my time missin' you_

_Almost wished you woulda loved me too_

_I almost forgot to say somethin' else_

_And if I can't fit it here, I'll keep it all to myself_

_I almost wrote a song_

_About you today_

_But I tore it all open and I threw it away_

_And I almost had you_

_But I guess that doesn't cut it_

_Almost loved you_

_And I didn't even know it_

_You kept me guessin' and now i guess _

_That I spent my time missin' you_

_Almost wished you woulda loved me too_

_(wished you woulda loved me too)_

_I almost wished you woulda loved me too_

Even more people left the dance floor after that song. Yami chuckled again, and Ed climbed up on stage, breath coming in pants as he spoke into the microphone.

"God, what a workout. Quick, somebody request a slow song before this maniac makes us dance ourselves to death." Yami cackled and revved his chainsaw again. Ed gave him a 'WTF?' look and hopped back off the stage.

Yumi went up and spoke to Yami, who nodded. Then he put his headset on speaker again. "We have a dedication. A special song for William Dunbar from Yumi Ishiyama." he played the song.

A girl's high, sweet voice filtered over the speakers, as well as guitar music and light rums in an easy to dance to rythm.

_Got introduced to you by a friend_

_You were cute and all that, _

_Baby you set the trend_

_(yes you did, oh)_

_Next thing I know, _

_We're down at the cinema_

_We're sitting there,_

_You said you loved me_

Yami easily located William in the crowd. He was standing by the stage wearing such a hopeful, lovesick look it took all of Yami's willpower not to laugh.

_What's that about? _The song continued, and Yami _did_ laugh at William's new expression.

_You're moving too fast_

_I don't understand you_

_I'm not ready yet, baby I can't pretend_

_(no I can't)_

_The best I can do is tell you to talk to me_

_It's possible, eventual, love will find away_

_(now we'll find a way)_

_Don't say you love me_

_You don't even know me_

_If you really want me, then give me some time_

_Don't go there, baby, not before I'm ready_

_Don't say your heart's in a hurry_

_Not like we're gonna get married_

_Give me, give me, some time_

_Here's how I play, here's where you stand_

_Here's what to prove_

_To get any further than where it's been_

_I'll make it clear_

_Not gonna tell you twice, take it slow_

_You're pushin' me, keep pushin' me_

_You're pushin' me away_

_(pushin' me away)_

_Don't say you love me_

_You don't even know me_

_If you really want me, then give me some time_

_Don't got there baby_

_Not before I'm ready_

_Don't say your heart's in a hurry_

_Not like we're gonna get married_

_Give me, give me, some time_

_Oh...na na na na na na na_

_Oh...na na na na na na na_

_Don't say you love me_

_You don't even know me baby_

_Baby don't say you love me_

_Baby, baby, if you really want me_

_Then give me some time(give me some time)_

_Don't say you love me_

_You don't even know me_

_If you really want me, then give me some time_

_Don't go there, baby. not before I'm ready_

_Don't say your heart's in a hurry_

_Not like we're gonna get married_

_Give me, give me, some time_

William growled. Apparently he didn't take too well to rejection. But he disappeared into the crowd and Ulrich walked over to Yumi. "So that song basically told William to step off, right?" heasked hopefully as they danced to another slow song(this one requested by Al).

_Futari wa kitto dearu you na_

_Mahou o kakete_

_Yotte o sotto_

"Mhmm. Thanks for the ring by the way. It's really pretty."

"Your welcome. I thought you really liked William."

"So did I. Then I remembered about being Yume."

"So who do you like?"

"...you." Yumi blushed, then kissed Ulrich on the lips. And as she did so, the last line of the current song, Let Me Be With You, blared.

_DAKESHIMETAI NO NI_

Ulrich blushed and kissed Yume right back, And suddenly, there was William. His eyes and hair were wild, his face a mask of anger. He looked like a man possessed. He pushed Ulrich away and grabbed Yumi. "No Yume. If I can't have you, no one can. Remember our deal?"

"This isn't 1375 AD William. If you try to kill anyone here, you'll be thrown in prison on attempted murder charges. So let me go." Yumi said calmly. Sure, the man scared the daylights out of her, but now that he didn't carry a sword, the odds would be even on both sides if she fought him. And cosidering how rigorously she'd trained with Ed, Al, and Yami, she had a fair chance of winning hand to hand.

William hissed out a "never!" and tightened his grip, then stumbled when Yumi broke free and his feet couldn't move to follow her. He looked down. The wooden gym floor had liquified and sucked his feet in past the ankle, and there was a crater all around the site where the wood pulp had lept up and swallowed his feet.

And a few feet way, with his hands pressed to the floor, was Al, but it was a changed Al indeed. His eyes were cold, the set of his mouth grim. He looked like he could kill William then and there without batting an eyelash. On his hands were a pair of white gloves, which Yumi knew from her memories of her previous incarnation had a transmutation circle sewn onto the palms in black.

"Release me, you imbecilic alchemist!" William cried.

A hand of shadows twapped William- hard.

"_Don't_ insult my koi." Yami growled. "Or you will find yourself in a very painful position indeed." He had already set the next song, and Yumi couldn't help but think how ironic it was to be fighting to the strains of Raison d'Etre.

Willaim spat at Yami.

Yami growled in anger. "Oh, _now _you've made me mad." He spoke in Olden Japanese, and a crevice opened in the floor. Rotting hands rose out of it and wrapped William like a mummy before dragging him down to the depths.

Al repaired what he had done to the floor, and Yami spoke in Olden Japanese again, and it was as if the little block of time just past had never happened.

"Let's just hope Sissi doesn't get the same idea." Ulrich told Yumi as they began dancing again. "Principal Del Mas would be unbearable if she went missing."

Yumi chuckled appreciatively, then the moment was interrupted by Sissi.

"Ulrich, what do you see in her that I don't have?" Sissi whined, tugging Ulrich's arm.

Ulrich tugged the arm away from Sissi. "Hmmm, well let's see. Someone who likes me for me and is a pleasure to be around, for one thing." Ulrich said. "Now get lost."

Ulrich and Yumi were able to dance some more before Ed got up on stage and announced, "Well folks, it's time to reveal the Spring Fling King and Queen. First the King." He tore open a white envelope and opened the card inside. "The Spring Fling King is Ulrich Stern! Come onto the stage, Ulrich!"

Ulrich climbed up on stage and was presented with a Homecoming King style gold crown, red robe and gold scepter. He bowed his head in thanks.

Ed grinned at him and held up the envelope containing the Queen's name. "And now, the Spring Fling Queen." He tore open the envelope and opened the card. "And the honor goes to-"

Sissi climbed on stage. "Thank you all so much." she gushed into Ed's mike(he drew away from it with a look of disgust). Then she grabbed Ulrich's arm and nuzzled him. "I guess I won after all, huh, Ulrich dear?"

"I'm not a prize!" Ulrich responded, yanking his arm away just as Ed rounded on Sissi.

"You've got some nerve." Ed spat at Sissi. "What makes you think you're the Queen?"

"Well, I'm the prettiest, most popular, and best liked girl in the school, and I'm the only one who deserves Ulrich. So if he's the King, I must be the Queen."

Ed pushed her off the stage, making sure to use his right hand. "Oban!" he snapped. "Not only do you have nerve, you're vain too. Now as I was saying, the Spring Fling Queen is...Yumi Ishiyama!"

Yumi climbed up on the stage and was presented with a diamond-like tiara, red cape, and slim silver scepter reminiscent of a Homecoming Queen.

Sissi jumped back on the stage again. "How is that possible? I deserve it way more than she does! She's not even pretty!"

Sasuke jumped up on stage. "Yumi-chan is worth ten, no _twenty_ of you, you spoiled little bitch." and to bring his point home, he pushed her so she fell on her ass on stage. Everyone laughed, and Sissi ran from the room crying.

"Congratulations, Yumi-chan." Sasuke said.

"Arigatou, Sasuke-kun." Yumi beamed.

Then, Yami started Yumi and Ulrich's song.

Ulrich jumped off the stage and helped Yumi down. Then the two began to dance.

_At a diner down on Broadway_

_They make small talk_

_As she brings his eggs and fills his coffee cup_

_He jokes about his love life_

_And tells he's 'bout ready to give up_

_That's when she says_

_"I've been there before_

_But keep on lookin,_

_'Cause maybe who you're lookin' for is_

_Somebody in the next car_

_Somebody on the mornin' train_

_Somebody in the coffee shop_

_That you walk right by every day_

_Somebody that you look at _

_But never really see_

_Somewhere out there_

_is Somebody."_

_'Cross town in a crowded elevator_

_He can't forget the things that waitress said_

_He usually reads the paper_

_But today he reads a stranger's face instead _

_It's that blue-eyed girl_

_From two floors up_

_Maybe she's the one_

_Maybe he could fall in love with_

_"Somebody in the next car_

_Somebody on the mornin' train_

_Somebody in the coffee shop_

_That you walk right by every day _

_Somebody that you look at_

_But never really see_

_Somewhere out there_

_is Somebody."_

_Now they laugh about the moment that it happened_

_A moment they'd both missed until that day_

_When he saw his future in her eyes_

_Instead of just another friendly face_

_And he wonders why he searched so long_

_When she was always there at that diner waitin' on_

_"Somebody in the next car_

_Somebody on the mornin' train_

_Somebody in the coffee shop _

_That you walk right by everyday_

_Somebody that you look at_

_But never really see_

_Somewhere out there,_

_oh, Somewhere out there_

_Somewhere out there_

_is Somebody."_

The song ended, and Ulrich pulled Yumi close. "Can I walk you home?" he asked.

She nodded, grinning hugely.

**AN: There we go. Only thing left one is the epilogue. A few things to explain: "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries," is from Monty Python. Japanese Glossary: koi- love, arigatou- thank you, oban- bitchy old hag. Songs used in this chapter:**

**1985- Bowling for Soup**

**Almost- Bowling for Soup**

**Don't Say You Love Me- M2M**

**Let Me Be With You- unkown(Chobits opening theme)**

**Raison d'Etre(mentioned)- unknown(Chobits closing theme)**

**Somebody- Reba McEntire**

**Review please! Ja minna!**


	6. Epilogue: Loose Ends? What Loose Ends?

**Incarnations- The Tale of Yumi**

**Lady Moon-Chan**

**Epilogue: Loose Ends? What Loose Ends?**

Odd knocked on the door to Yami and Al's dormroom. "Hey. You guys decent?"

"We've never_ been_ decent, Odd. When are you going to learn tha-Yami! Knock it off! We did it twice last night!"

"I did _not_ need to hear that Al!" Odd called through the door.

"Sorry." Al called back, and the door opened. Odd closed his eyes just in case.

"You can open your eyes you know. Contrary to poular belief, I'm not naked."

Odd peeked open one eye cautiously. True to his word, Al was wearing a pair of green scrub pants and a big black t-shirt which read "I have just kidnapped myself. Give me one million dollars or you'll never see me again." Odd snickered, and Al nodded, ushering the other blonde in.

"So how's Ulrich?" Al asked, sitting on the bed beside Yami.

Odd took a seat at the computer chair. "Acting like he's on happy gas. She must have given him some goodnight kiss." the three chuckled, and Odd continued. "And before he lost all coherency, I heard the words Yumi and girlfriend in the same sentence."

"Excellent." Al said, rubbing his hands together. He went into the bottom right dresser drawer and started rummaging around.

"Ne, Aru, I thought you only went into that stash of yours on special occasions." Yami said.

Al sighed heavily. "Yami-kun, I love you dearly, but you can be _so_ dense sometimes. This is what we've been waiting for for 631 years, remember?"

Yami blushed and grinned sheepishly, then sat up straight when he heard the crinkle of cellophane. "Pocky?" he asked hopefully.

Al nodded. "Almond Crush or Strawberry?"

"Strawberry."

AL tossed a long stick covered in something pink at Yami, who smiled at him lovingly, before he sat down himself with a gold cellophane packet. He tore open the packet and put a chocolate covered biscuit stick into his mouth.

"Arigatou, Aru-chan." Yami said around a mouth full of pocky.

"No problem." Al told Yami, then turned his attention to Odd. "It's the same situation with Jeremy and Aelita. I stalked them for about 15 minutes after the dance, and...well, expect Jeremy's head to be somewhere in the stratosphere all day."

"She gave him _that _kind of goodnight kiss, huh?" Odd asked.

Al nodded.

"So I guess all's well that ends well, then." Yami said, cuddling Al.

"Yeah." Al agreed, then smacked Yami when his hands moved below the belt.

End

**AN: All done. No more 'Incarnations'! But I hope you all enjoyed it while it lasted and will tell other people about this story, or better yet, leave a review and tell me your opinion! Ja ne, minna-san! Goodnight!**


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